CPSC, RC2 issue new recall of China-made products

The lead paint toy scare is worrying millions of parents in the United States and it doesn't seems to end soon. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the toy company RC2 Corp. announced on Wednesday a voluntary recall of more than half a million Chinese-made toys because of high amounts of lead in the paint the toys are coated with.

Lead paint could be harmful for children’s health if taken in by them, as announced yesterday by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and toy company RC2 Corp.

The recent recall of toys and children's jewelry items affected RC2 and five other companies that altogether recalled about 670,000 Chinese-made products, almost all because of excessive levels of lead in their surface paint.

The companies that issued recalls include Oak Brook, Illinois-based RC2 Corp., Target Corp., Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, Guidecraft Inc., Rhode Island Novelty and Toby N.Y.C.

Recalled items were necklaces, bracelets and pendants imported by New York-based Toby N.Y.C.; Spinning Wheel Necklaces produced by Rhode Island Novelty, a toy distributor based in Cumberland; Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs imported by Minneapolis-based Target; Thomas and Friends Wood Railway Toys and Knights of the Sword series toys distributed by RC2; children's toy rakes imported by Jo-Ann Stores Inc.; and Floor Puppet Theaters produced by Guidecraft, based in Englewood, N.J.

RC2 called back 269,000 Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway items and 800 toys from its "Knights of the Sword" series, after it detected higher-than-allowed lead content in three models of action figure. The three models include a mounted silver knight on a red horse with an axe; a mounted silver knight on a red horse with two hands on a raised weapon; and a mounted silver knight on a red horse with a lance.

The toy company said the surface paints on the toy knights that sold at specialty toy stores nationwide from April 2004 through March 2006 for about $8 contain dangerous levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.

Target, the second-largest US discount chain, warned about excessive lead in the paint on about 350,000 of its Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs.

Jo-Ann Stores recalled 16,000 toy rakes from its Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts stores because of the dangerous levels of lead in the paint on the rake handles.

Toy maker Guidecraft Inc. pulled as many as 10,000 Floor Puppet Theaters from the shelves because of the similar problems in the surface paints on the 52-inch toy stage.

Toby N.Y.C. warned consumers to stop using 23,500 Toby & Me jewelry sets with heart and monkey pendants. Toby’s recent recall follows its last month’s recall of crystal, pearl and wood-bead jewelry sets.

Additionally, 850 Children's Spinning Wheel-Metal Necklaces made by Rhode Island Novelty Inc. were recalled because of high lead levels in the clasps.

The CPSC said, although, no injuries have been reported so far from the products recalled Wednesday, but consumers should take these recalled toys away from young children immediately in order to avoid any problem.

Lead poisoning levels are higher in children as compared to adults because babies and young children often put their hands and other objects in their mouths and these objects can have lead dust on them. They also absorb it more easily.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 million US children under 5 have high levels of lead in their blood. In the US lead poisoning is formally defined as having at least 10micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. (The average level of lead, for people ages 1 to 70, is 2.3 micrograms).

The lead may come from lead-containing paint, leaded gasoline, some types of batteries, water pipes, and pottery glazes etc. Lead exposure in homes can occur through water, food, household dust and soil.

Exposure to high levels can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma or death. Symptoms include anemia, appetite loss, abdominal pain, constipation, fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability and headaches. Lead is also capable of causing brain damage.